DF3 Chimera: Death to Dealer
by Tobias
Summary: There's a new drug on the streets called Chimera. It changes you, makes your forget who you are, who your friends are. And just when you think it can't get any worse, you become one of them.
1. DF3: Death to Dealer

A/N: I know I said I wouldn't make another one but... eh, what the hell - people seemed to want another one.

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"_I'm scanning it now."_

"Yah? Well hurry up, we don't have all day you know."

"_Keep your gear on and your panties untwisted. I'm working on it."_

Bryan grinned at the low growl behind him.

"I know, how dare he every talk about your undergarments. Especially over the radio."

"Bite me."

"_Alright guys, you're looking at thirty warm bodies. Most in the main room, a few scattered in smaller areas. I'm only reading about six weapons; though I think two of them are false readings. Watch yourselves."_

"Anything else we need to know?"

"_Yah, I'm reading a signal... looks like James is in there. Main room."_

"_What? What's he doing in there?"_

"I guessing he really likes to party? Mei, you in position."

"_Yah, I can see everyone from up here. Just say the word chief. We'll toss and repel."_

"_I swear, when I get my hands on him..."_

"Not now, Fox. We'll deal with him later." Brea cut him off, threading her rope around the steel beam. She repelled a foot down onto the wall, snagging her rope and un-holstering her pistol, she took aim at the power serge box across the way, aiming right for the yellow and black lightning bolt.

The party continued on below as the must pumped and the people danced. Word had filtered from the street that the rave would be happening tonight. The better news was that a major drug dealer would be attending. The unforeseen event was that Fox's son was at the rave, instead of at a friend's house like he had told his parents.

"Goggles ready, guys?"

"_Active and working."_ Mei called back.

"_Same here, whenever you're ready."_ Jackie acknowledged.

"_All set."_ Replied a third voice. Silver was pulling a full time shift with the boys at DCTU now. And while Calita had supposedly stayed away from the field assignments, resigning herself to the gun cage. But they all know that every now and then she would show up.

"Good." Bryan said, turning to Brea just as he flipped his own set down. "Blow it."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Mean While - At Military Avionics Bay 5 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Chopper 8 on final approach. Is my LZ clear?"_

"_Copy C8. We're all clear and ready for your arrival. ETA?"_

"_Final approach to landing is six minutes."_

"_Copy Chopper 8. You are clear for landing. How was the flight?"_

"_The peanuts were stale, there were no pretty little stewardesses running around to take my order, and my gun and tonic ran out about half an hour ago."_

"_I mean the test flight, Falco."_

"_What, not worried about me at all... fine. The flight went fine. Though I'd have to admit the controls are a little sluggish to respond, and when they do they really respond. Might want to have Dracous take a look at his mechanics before they start production on more of these things."_

There was only two minutes left to the avian's approach. The bright landing lights from the chopper could be see as the sound of the blades filled the air, causing the wind to whirl up and blow anything not bolted down around.

Falco sat up in the pilot's seat, seeing the armed guards around the landing zone as he set out his landing gear, preparing to land.

"_Whoa! Hot LZ, Hot LZ! Falco, get out of there now! Eject!"_

The radio was yelling at him as he slammed the red button next to him. His seat flew up into the night sky as a bright, fast moving, light slammed into the chopper below him. Causing the fireball that shorted out his ejection seat's thrusters and parachute pack, causing him to fall into the nearby lake while the guards worked on finding out where that missile had come from.

A few of them dived into the lake to help Falco as well.

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"I'm not sure what I'm going to do with you just yet..."

"But dad!"

"No buts! You lied to us! Not only that but, drugs James! Jesus, I thought we taught you better than that."

"They're not mine!"

"And I suppose that Brea just happen to put them into your vest pocked by herself, hmm?"

"Dad!"

"I don't want to hear it James. You're in big trouble this time!"

"Fox, go easy on him, boys will be boys, you know that." Krystal was trying to turn down the heat on James a little by drawing Fox's attention to her so he could calm down just a little.

"Boys will be boys, sure! But boys being boys don't do drugs! Junkies do drugs! And I'll be damned if my kids gonna be a junkie!"

"I didn't take them- ouch!" He yelled as Mei picked his arm with a small device she had palmed on her way up. She shook it for a second before capping it and tossing it to Fox.

"Kid's tell'n' the truth Fox. He's clean." She said, patting James on the shoulder. "Kid's a partier, but he's no junkie."

Fox gave his temples a rub before looking at his son. "Fine, I apologize about jumping to conclusions. But you are still in trouble for lying to us."

"How was I supposed to know you guys were raiding this party? As far as I knew it was legit!"

"Fox!" Brea called from the back of her unit. He walked over to her, seeing Dracous staring back at her from the small TV screen. "This isn't the regular stuff. In fact, it isn't even the drug... it isn't even _a_ drug."

"What?"

"He's got little baggies of table salt, Fox. That's it."

He looked over his shoulder at his son. "You think he was planning on selling them?"

"Maybe... who knows. What do you want to do, Fox?" Brea asked, closing the screen.

"I'll deal with him. Thanks, Brea."

"Anytime, pal." She responded, turning back to her car to break down her weapon.

"_Dispatch to all units, hold for pending emergency traffic. Seventy-David requesting medics and a squad to A-Bay five. Unknown missile launched at a test air craft. No further activities reported. Dispatch to Medic thirty-eight, respond code three."_

"_Medic thirty-eight here. Code three, I copy."_

"_M-TAC, en-route. ETA, one minute and some change."_

Bryan looked over at Mei, who was leaning on her unit with her arms crossed, as she asked him a question.

"Hey, wasn't Falco at bay five today? Testing some craft?"

Bryan reached for his radio. "Five-five David to dispatch. Craft status?"

"_It's a loss."_

"And the pilot?"

"_He ejected in time. They fished him out of the lake. He'll be fine."_

"Copy, we're on stand-by."

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"Anything else you can remember?" Mei asked Falco, continuing the testes they had done at the hospital to the ride home.

"Yes, that little pen light in your hand is starting to piss me off! Can you stop shining it in my eyes, I told you, I'm fine!"

Mei placed a hand on her hip as Katt came up behind her. "Sheesh, I'm just making sure you didn't rattle that brain of yours too much. God knows how much room it has to move around in there."

"Awww." Katt said. "That wasn't nice, Mei." She said, faking sympathy, as she sat in Falco's lap, cuddling into his chest. "Big bird's gonna be alright though. I'll see to his care."

"Good luck." Mei said, turning to head towards her dorm. She must have just caught Bill fresh from the shower as he searched his dresser with a towel still around his waist. She could see the glint from the dog tags around his neck as well.

"Hmmm, something smells like wet dog." She teased, sitting on the bed.

"I happen to think that the wet dog smell is very fashionable, thank you." He said, without looking up.

"What are you looking for."

"My red shirt. Not the one with the logo, just the plain one."

"Drawer to your left."

Bill opened that drawer and found it right on top, along with a pair of jeans. He looked over his shoulder at Mei as she pretended to cover her eyes while he got dressed. When he was done he sat on the bed next to her.

"Hope Fox wasn't too hard on James." He said, cringing as he heard a door slam.

Mei didn't respond, she just leaned on his shoulder. "I'm so tired." She yawned out, moving to lay on the bed. Bill was originally going to take her out to dinner tonight. But seeing as she was so tired, he settled for crawling next to her and holder her close while she slept, he eventually drifting off too.

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Bryan walked down the hall of his house with a kid on each leg.

"Come on guys, bed time! You know daddy's tired after working today."

Brea leaned on the bedroom doorframe, watching him trying to move down the hall. She finally laughed, moving to meet him in the hall, prying a kid from his leg and holding her up in her arms.

"Trish, why do you always give your father a hard time at bed time?"

The child giggled at her mother. "'Cause daddy's funny!"

Brea just laughed, nuzzling her child for a moment before looking back at Bryan who was still struggling with Trish's older brother, Michel.

"And you! What are you, eleven now? Aren't you guys a little old for this?"

Mike just stuck his toung out at his parents. Mike may have been eleven, but he was extreme mature for his age. They both knew that he knew when to play and when he had to be serious in order to take care of his nine year old sister.

"I'm never too old to bother my parents. You should know that!" He laughed, getting off the floor as Brea set Trish down. "Come'on! I'll race you to your room." He said, getting a head start. She just laughed, chasing after him.

Brea sighed, leaning back on their frame again. "Looks like we better get some rest too. It's been a long day." Bryan said, sweeping his mate up into his arms and kicking the door shut behind him.

"Who can argue?" Brea responded, giving him a light kiss before he placed her into the bed, getting in next to her she moved until her back was flush to his chest and his arms around her. She let the smile evade her face as she leaped into the deepest of slumbers she had had in a long time.


	2. Destiny?

Bryan put down his rag, reaching for a small tool with a brush at the end. He pushed it into the barrel of the rifle, running it in and out a few times before pulling it out. He looked up as he heard the door open, seeing Michel walk in, he grinned.

"Hey kiddo, came to check out your old man?"

"Mom is taking Trish out to get her measurements down for that gown she has to wear in the school play. She said you were cleaning."

"Yah, wanna help? You remember how to do it, right?"

Mike nodded, sitting in the stool across from his father. He picked one of the M4s off the rack, checking the safety before pointing it at the ground, pulling back the side to make sure it was completely empty. Finding that it was, he reached for the rag his father had set down, he set to work.

"Someone at school told me James got arrested... is it true?"

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Yah but, why do you think I'm asking?"

"No, he didn't get arrested. But he's in big trouble."

Michel nodded. "I heard he was at that rave."

"He fell into a bad crowd, Mike. But he's a good kid. You and I both know you can trust him if you ever needed help."

"I know... I was kind of wondering if I could go to Tony's house tomorrow? He just got that new game and I've been dying to play it."

"Mike, you know I don't like him."

"I don't see why you don't. He's so cool! And his parents let him do anything he wants!"

"And that's just it. He's three years older than you, he's already drinking, and I'm sure that if I checked, I'd find him smoking too. I don't trust that kid. You know I don't like you hanging out with him."

"But Dad!"

"No buts... but I will tell you what. When we're done here I'll take you out to go get that game you want, alright?"

"But I don't have the system to play it. That's kind of why I wanted to go there."

"Then we'll buy that too. You've been doing your chores lately, you've been taking care of your sister and your grades are good. I don't see why a little reward isn't in order."

"You mean it?"

"Yah. Now get moving, I wanna see my face in that thing when you're done." Bryan said, the humor overpowering in his voice.

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"Junk... junk... junk... Hmmm, get twenty issues of playboy free?"

"Bill!"

"I mean, junk!"

"Damn right you mean junk." Mei growled, taking the envelope from his hands, shredding it.

"I was only playing." He said, handing Mei her mail. She just rubbed his ear. She set her envelopes down on the table before leaning her head on top of his.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"Well... Teresa is in town today, playing at that little restaurant on the corner. You know, next to the park and the mall? Looks like she doing some acoustic stuff as a promotion. Want to head down there and check it out?"

"You gonna buy me lunch?"

Bill grinned, moving to stand up. "Only if you pay."

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"Thanks, Dad." Michel was more than happy to have his new game system with about four new games to go with it. When was even better was that now him and his dad were going to have lunch at a little corner restaurant.

They got a table near one of the windows and opened their menus to see what they wanted. Bryan was reading away when he heard Mike speak.

"Looks like they're doing some sort of show. They've got some amps and guitars set up."

Bryan just 'mmhmmed' and nodded into his menu.

A moment later the menu was pulled from his hands. Bryan looked up to see a red vixen staring back down at him, hands on her hips and her foot tapping.

"Can't even take your nose out of a menu to say 'Hello, Teresa. It's nice to see you again.'"

"Hello Teresa, nice to see you again." Bryan mocked her tone as he stood, giving her a hug. "It's been a while. I take it your tour went well?"

"Well... without a psychopathic manager trying to kill you, yah, we did good. Now I'm managing myself. It's actually why I'm here today."

"Oh, so you're playing I take it?"

"Yah... so, who's the endless water fountain here?" She said, motioning to Michel who was wetting the floor was his constant drooling.

"That would be my son, Michel." The to Mike. "Hey kid, you're drooling."

"You know Teresa Ra Van? She's my idol! I mean, you're my idol!"

Teresa just grinned, shaking the kid's hand. "Your dad saved me a few times back in the day."

"Dad, you know her? And you didn't tell me?"

"What's to tell? I was never sure what you listen to. But yes, I do know Teresa. We're old friends."

"Now if only your dad know how to work a telephone, we'd be all set. So, he's yours, eh? I take it you and Brea got together then?"

"Yah. we've got another one too, Trish. Her and Brea are out clothes shopping right now."

"Pretty in pink just ain't your thing I take it." She looked up at the stage to see one of her players getting ready. "I gotta go. Hang around afterwards, ok? We've got a few years to catch up on."

"You got it." Bryan said, giving her a hug again before sitting back down. "Close that mouth, kid. You're gonna eat a fly you keep that up."

"Sorry but... wow! My dad knows a celebrity."

"I know a lot of celebrities, kid."

"How did you meet her?" Michel asked, looking up as Mei and Bill approached the table.

"She tried to kill Dean." Mei said, pulling a chair from a neighboring table and sitting in it backwards.

Michel looked at his dad.

"It's true. She's Akita's brother. Remember the stories I told you about him? We got her out and now she's famous."

"So, what brings you guys to this place?"

"I got a new game!" Mike announced proudly, holding up the bag for Mei to see.

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"I'm sorry, but I can't make it tonight. Dad grounded me for a month."

"_I know... you know better than that James... why did you do it?"_

"Because it seemed like fun at the time."

"_Well now you know better, don't you?"_

"Thanks, **mom**."

"_Hey! I'm not your mother, I just care about you. You know that... but I talked to your dad before. He's willing to let me spend the night over there."_

James was smiling now. He may have been in trouble, but at least his dad was letting his girlfriend come over and visit. Unlike most parents, Fox and Krystal both knew that Lindsay kept James out of trouble... most of the time.

"_Hey, you still listening over there fox boy?"_

"Huh... oh, yah! I'm just excited, that's all."

"_Well if you were paying attention you would of heard me tell you that my dad's birthday is in two weeks. I'm inviting you to the surprise party, pass it on to your parents too, ok?"_

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Teresa stumbled a little as she walked down the street. She hadn't been feeling that hot since she left the bar, which surprised her since she only had done a single shot and had drank nothing but water or soda after that.

She sat on the street corner as things began to blur a little. She thought she was still moving, but she couldn't feel her legs anymore. And before she knew it, she passed out.

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Bryan groaned as his cell phone vibrated against the oak nightstand. Brea elbowed him in the ribs, whispering for him to 'answer that damn phone'.

He sat up, swinging his feet over the edge of the bed before rubbing his eyes and reaching for the cell. He read the display, recognizing the number as the local police station.

"Hello?" His words were slightly slurred from his sleep.

"_Is this Bryan from DCTU?"_

"Sure, why not."

"_Uh... okay... we have someone down here who claims to know you. Given the seriousness of the situation, we think you should come down here."_

Bryan groaned, standing to his full height now, searching the darkened room for his clothes. "Yah, I'll be there in a few." He said, tossing the phone to where he had been previously sleeping. Brea rolled over, her eyes glinting from the light given off by the clocks display.

He finished getting dressed before moving to her side of the bed.

"Something's going on. I'll be back in a hour or so, ok?" He said, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Get some rest."

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"Can I help you sir?"

"I got called down here." Bryan answered, showing her his ID. She picked up the phone and spoke quietly for a moment before setting it back in it's cradle. "Detective Phoenix will be down in a minute to see you. Just have a seat over there."

It wasn't long until Bryan's eyes dropped down to the floor. He found himself staring at his shoes before another set appeared in front of his. His attention snapped up to be face to face with another vulpine.

"Long night I take it? Thanks for coming in." She said, offering him a paw. "Fara Phoenix."

"Uh, oh! Bryan Daniels." Bryan stuttered, catching himself. "You said you had something important to show me?"

"Right this way."

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"You know this girl?" Detective Phoenix asked, showing Bryan the suspect through the one-way glass.

"Yah, it's Teresa Ra Van. She's a friend... she do somethin'?"

When the detective didn't answer he turned to face her.

"What happened?"

"Well... we're not quite sure. We found her out on the west side of town sitting in the middle of a residential street, covered in blood and mumbling something to herself. We followed a few footprints into a house about a block over. Long story short? We believe she did drugs or drank to much and killed a cop."

"Teresa? No... most I've seen her drink a is a single shot. She never goes past that, and the only reason she'll do it is when she has a reason to celebrate."

"Yah well evidence doesn't lie."

"I take it there's more to it?"

"Yah, she denies everything. And I mean everything. She didn't even know how she ended up in the middle of the street, never mind being covered in blood."

Bryan tapped his foot a few times before pushing on the door to get into the room. Fara hung back, watching Bryan through the one way. She turned away once when someone tapped her on the shoulder, handing her a folder.

Inside the room, Teresa looked up when she heard the door open.

"You came! Thank you so much... did you tell them I didn't do it? You do think I didn't do it, right?"

"I know you didn't do it but... you have to admit, it looks bad."

"Bryan! Don't say that! You have to do something!"

"Start from the beginning."

"Well... from what I can remember... I went to Cleary's on Frost and eighty-third. I had my usual one shot before I started to drink water and soda. A little while later I started to feel really out of it. I just figured I was tired, so I started walking home. Only thing is I made it about two blocks before I had to sit. The last thing I can remember was falling asleep on the street corner, leaning on that nasty light post. Next thing I know, I'm the a police car being read my rights and covered in blood."

"What about the bar? Anyone hassling you there?"

"Well, besides the 'can I have your autograph' questions, nope."

"Did you let any of your drinks out of your sight?"

"No... well... twice... maybe? Once when someone asked me the usual question and another when I dropped my house keys. That was it."

Bryan nodded, standing up. "Stay here, I'll be right back, alright?"

Bryan stepped out of the room, only to have the folder shoved in his face.

"Look, she had no drugs in her system. And we can see the alcohol from that one shot. She isn't on any medication, she did this on purpose and is trying to cover her tracks."

"You're jumping to conclusions, detective. There are drugs that won't appear in regular tox screen after an hour."

"So, how do you plan to prove that?"

"Leave that to me detective. We'll be taking custody of Teresa in the mean time." The agent stated, reaching for his cell phone.

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"I could be curled up in bed right now with Bill, but no, here I am, in a bar, at five thirty in the morning. What did you want?" Mei was venting to Bryan.

"Did you bring it?"

"What? Yah, here." She said, shoving one of the flashlights into his hands. He clicked it on, signaling to the bar's owner to kill the lights.

The flashlight was a UV light. Bryan led Mei over to the glasses that hadn't been washed yet, flashing his light on the glasses. "Look for anything glowing." He said. When a minute passed and he didn't see Mei move, he looked up. She was shining it on a spot on the bar.

"Who has sex on top of the bar? Isn't that against some sort of health code or something?" She asked, before giving him a sheepish grin. "What?"

Bryan just shook his head, turning back to the glasses. Seeing the entire bottom of one glow he picked it up.

"Here's your winner."

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"You're lucky I like you guys." Now Dracous was whining. "Anyway, yes, I tested the glass. It contains trace amount of Chimera. You know, that new drug on the market. Gets into your bloodstream and turns you into some kind of zombie. You wake up a few hours later without knowing what the hell you just did. Supposedly there's someone controlling you too. Though I've yet to verify these claims."

"So," Brea began. "You could say... kill someone while on this drug?"

"Yah... there's a lot of bad things you can do when on this thing. Truth be told, given the dosage amount, where it was, and the way it spread out... she didn't put it in herself. It had to sit there for a little while. If you put it in yourself, you'll hit it before it has time to really get into the drink. This one had spread across the bottom, meaning it sat there for at least a two minutes."

"Thanks Dracous." Bryan said, turning off the screen and turning to the group.

"I'll call Detective Phoenix and tell her what we found." He said, reaching for the phone.

"Phoenix?" Fox asked, looking surprised. "Fara Phoenix?"

"Yah, you know her?" Bryan asked, starting to dial.

"Yah, she's Fox's ex."

"Shut up Falco!"

Bryan rolled his eyes as the Detective picked up.

"_Corneria Metro Police, Detective Phoenix speaking."_

"Detective? This is Bryan again. Hope you aren't to busy."

"_Depends, is this a social call?"_

"Not at all. We believe that we've found the source of troubles though." He said, trying hard to hide the smug grin on his face.

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The train pulled away from the station, as Devon stood there, a bag under his arm and one at his side. He sighed, taking in a breath of the fresh air. He hadn't been home in months and he was deeply missing his parents for the first real time in his life.

Sure, they had been a pain growing up, but after joining the Military and going through reserve training, he was actually happy to be home. Even more so now that he realized that they had been hard on him for a reason.

He picked up the handle to his bag, walking out the front doors of the train station and sitting on the bench. He looked across the grassy front loading area towards the clock stationed in the middle of it.

"It's only eleven? Oh man... that taxi won't be here for another forty-five minutes."

He lowered his head to his bag, before sitting back up and pulling it open to search for something. A moment later he pulled a book from it, leaning back onto the bench. He flipped open to the page in which he had left off and began reading.

A little while later he set the book down, folding over a page before stuffing it into his page. He looked back at the green's clock, reading off the time as eleven-forty.

"Five more minutes." He said aloud to himself. Then as an after thought. "I can't wait for Tabby to arrive tomorrow. I kind of wish she had had her tests earlier in the year like I had."

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me, sir?"

He looked up, seeing a orangeish-red canine looking back at him.

"I was wondering if you could help me... I locked my keys into my car and I fear that the ice cream won't make it home unless I can unlock it soon."

Devon nodded, getting up and taking his bags with him.

It only took a few minutes to jimmy the door open, at which point he said his goodbye and turned to head back to the bench, just in time for him to watch his taxi pull away.

"Hey! Wait!" He yelled, running after it. But the driver didn't hear him.

As the taxi got further into the distance he sighed. "Just great. Just freakin' great."

"Miss your cab?" The canine asked him. Devon jolted around to face her.

"Yah, it's alright, a good walk never hurt anyone." He said, trying to keep the fake smile on his face.

"I could always give you a ride. Uh... where is it you need to go?"

Devon pulled the paper from his back pocket. "This address."

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A car pulled up in front of the DCTU frat house and Devon stepped out, walking towards the front door after waving off the driver. He was walking up the main path when he heard some yelling.

"I'm gonna freakin' kill you!"

A moment later, Bill shot out the front door and down the front path. Mei wasn't too far behind, chasing the dog all the way down the walk way and past Devon.

"Hey kid!" Bill yelled, rushing passed Devon with Mei on his heels. "Wait!" Bill yelled, stopping dead in his tracks. Mei didn't stop in time and toppled him over, causing both to land in a heap on the ground.

Devon was beyond grinning as he set his bags down, adjusted his glasses, and kneeled do near Bill and Mei. "It's good to see you two are still at your old tricks." He commented, helping Mei up.

She quickly embraced the boy, giving him a few pats on the back before Bill shook his hand. "Mmm, mmm... Look at this. Little Devon made himself a military man. Thought I'd never see the day." He said, grinning like a fool.

"Watch it. One day I'll have your old job. So, you seen Dad or Mom around?"

"Well... your Dad just went to the police station to take care of something, but your Mom should be home."

"Figured they'd be hanging around here with you guys... guess I'll head over there then." Devon said, grabbing his bags.

"Don't be a stranger, eh kid?" Bill called after him, just as Mei pounced on him.

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Brea heard the knock on the door as she shut off the stereo in Trish's room, telling the grin to 'finish her homework while I get the door'.

She walked casually into the main room, opening the door with a smile.

"Can I... oh my god." She gasped, quickly grabbing Devon into a big hug. "You don't call or write from the academy. It's so good to see you again... oh... my little boys all grown up." She was close to tears as she pulled him into the house.

"Trish! Michel! Come into the kitchen! See who's here!" Brea called.

Devon just leaned on the table as his sister and brother walked into the kitchen, stopping in their tracks at t he sight of their brother. "Devon!" Trish yelled, running up to hug him around the waste.

"Hey, bro." Mike said, sharing a hand shake with his brother. "Hope the Military didn't kill your hoops style. Hate to be able to beat you too easily."

Devon just smirked. "You're on little man."

"Uh-uh. No way. No basket ball until your father gets home. He's going to want to have a long talk with you before you do anything."

"See, I'm not even home seven minutes and I'm already in trouble." Devon groaned.

"Oh, hush. He's just going to want to know what you've been up to."

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"Brea? You here? You wouldn't believe the mess on the ride home. Four car pile-up on the I-18. Worse yet was the fact that I almost added myself as a fifth..."

Bryan stopped talking as he walked into the kitchen. Devon stood up from the chair, standing strait in front of his father. "Heh... hey Dad." He said, grinning as he tried his best to look military in front of his father.

"Devon... you're home." Bryan wasn't blinking at this point. He was still staring down the son that had left for the military right out of high school.

"Yah... I'm home... for good this time. Uh... think we can go in there and talk?" He said, pointing to the den. Bryan nodded, leading the way.

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"What? No! Absolutely not!"

"But, Dad! I got the best marks in my unit. You know I work hard, and I've got the military training! Why not?"

"Because! You need a lot more than 'training' to pull this off! You need intuition, and that takes years to develop. You need to be able to do things that they didn't teach you! Stuff that they might even want you to know about! I won't have it! Stick with the reserves, fine! But there's no way in hell you're joining DCTU!"

Devon growled at his father.

"What do I have to do to prove to you that I can handle it!"

"There is nothing you can do! DCTU is way to dangerous, I won't have my kids working that beat! No way!"

"But, Dad!"

"I said no Devon! It's hard enough that me and your mother work that shift. If anything happens to us we know the others can take care of you guys. But if something happens to one of you... no - it's as simple as that."

Devon continued to growl. "This isn't fair. I didn't endure my training just to be turned away at the gates! There has to be something I can do that will prove to you I can handle it!"

Bryan sighed. "Look... I know you can handle it. I'm sure you could. But... god forbid anything ever happen to me or your mother, we'd need someone to look after Trish and Michel."

"Mei and Bill could do it!"

"No, Devon. They'll need family with them. If we go, your all they've got."

Devon growled again, this time storming from the room and out the front door, jogging down the street.

"What was that all about?" Brea asked, leaning on the doorframe.

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Devon jogged a few blocks away before turning into the woods. He walked a few more feet before coming to a stream.

"Can't believe it... I thought he would be happy I wanted to join up with him. All I want to do is prove that I can do it... is that too much to ask?"

"Devon, you're being stupid. You and I, even your father... we all know you're more than capable of handling the situations we get into."

Devon jumped, looking up to see Brea sitting on a tree limb, watching the water flow underneath. "You scared me! How did you get up there without me knowing?"

"Well... I know you used to come here when you were little. Besides, it's easier just to jump roof tops then use the sidewalk." She jumped down, landing in front of him she put her paws on his shoulders. "Listen to me," she said "you're father is only worried about you. Don't make it too hard for him, ok? He's just trying to protect you."

Devon sighed, turning to walk back to the street, Brea in tow. "He does know I'm not five anymore, right?"

Brea just laughed at him. "Probably not."

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"Brea, I told him no for a reason." Bryan said, pulling back the covers of their bed, climbing in he pulled the back up before pulling Brea closer to him.

"Just give the kid a chance. We'll put him on the regular street shift and off the emergency response teams. Maybe after a while we'll move him up. But for now, don't we at least owe him that?"

Bryan sighed when Brea turned to nuzzle his neck.

"That's not fair. You know I can't tell you no when you do that."

"I'm a female feline. It's in the blood, babe." Brea whispered, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

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"This is adding insult to injury. You know this right?" Devon groaned, seeing where Bryan had pulled to a stop.

"Just get out of the car and lets go."

They walked past the main desk and into the _Employee's Only_ area, heading for the dispatcher's desk.

Seeing Bryan walk up, Edna, the resident dispatcher, handed over a few calling cars, telling him that those where his messages for the day. He slid those into his vest pocket before turning back to her.

"Did you get what I asked you to?" He asked, leaning in slightly. Devon was off looking at a posting board a few feet away.

"Yes, sir. Right here." Edna said, handing over the small gym bag before going back to work. Bryan tapped Devon on the shoulder, heading off for his office.

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"Take a seat, kid." Bryan said as he opened his desk drawer. He picked up a pen and filled out a few things before putting the clip board down on his desk so that Devon couldn't see what was on it.

Then he sat back, rubbing his eyes and grumbling something before leaning in on his elbows.

"Do you really, really want to work here?"

"Do you really have to ask, Dad? You know I do."

Bryan sighed. Taking the small bag, he put the clipboard into it before tossing it to his son.

"Welcome to the force, kid. Come on, I'll take you to choose your unit."


	3. Cold Kill

Tabitha stood at the same train station that Devon had not more than a day before. The main difference now was that the rain was starting to pour, and thanks to the direction of the wind, there was no where to hide from the rain.

She grumbled, looking over at the clock in the center of the yard.

"Where is he? I'm cold, I'm tired, I'm hungry... I'd rather be back at the academy again then here.

The tan feline sighed, looking down at her soaked cadet uniform. "Great, just great."

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Devon on the other hand sat in the heated seat of his new unit. He had gone with the Suburban, instead of one of the smaller cars. He was surprised about how well it handled; at the academy they told him that anything with a wheel was sometimes bumpy and could possibly flip over if you turned to fast.

"Like it? Your mother just finished this design. She also revamped the breaking and suspension systems so it handles a lot better than mine." His father answered the unspoken question, just as Devon slammed the breaks at a red light, causing him to jolt forward. "Hey! Easy!"

"Sorry, Dad, I just realized what time it is!"

"And? You got plans, Kid?"

"I've got to go pick someone up. Oh, man - I'm so late. Think we can jet back to base, I gotta return this thing and grab a cab to the train station."

Bryan rolled his eyes as the light turned green and the rain picked up. "Car's yours, Devon. You use it on and off shift."

"Oh... well..." Now he had to pull over. The rain had picked up to the point where he couldn't see past his front bumper. "Just great... Tabby's gonna be pissed at me."

"Here." Bryan said. He pointed out two switches on the middle panel. "Hit these."

Devon game his dad a glance before hitting each of the switches. Bright lights pierced the rain as the occasional red or blue flash was seen reflecting off the rain slick streets. Bryan leaned forward, pointing out another switch, this one on the driver's door. "That one will give you extra traction so you don't slide around in the rain. We won't need it now since you're not speeding, but it's good to know when you're on a call."

Devon was already driving again, paying attention to the cars pulled off to the side of the road. The only ones still moving around on the street were the cops, and they were moving extremely slow.

Devon weaved in and out of random drivers before pulling to a stop at the train station. He killed the engine before dashing out into the rain storm and onto the station's platform.

Bryan got out of the car, leaning on his closed door. The rain didn't bother him at all, in fact, he rather liked it.

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Tabitha wringed out her tail before turning back to look out onto the street. The jet black SUV had pulled to a stop and someone was running to her. She smiled as she realized who it was.

"Devon! Thank god! I thought I was going to get washed away out here!"

He grinned, hugging the girl close he laughed slightly. "You're all wet."

"No kidding? I thought I was losing my mind." She replied, stepping back. Devon snatched the bag from her hand, turning towards the road. "Ready to make a run for it?"

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Bryan watched the two figures run for him. He cocked an eyebrow slightly, but reached his hand out to open the backdoor for the second figure, he rushed her thanks as she jumped into the back seat.

Bryan closed the door and got in, while Devon slammed the back cargo door before leaping into the driver seat.

"I don't believe we've met." Bryan said, turning in his seat in order to see who was behind him.

"Heh... sorry, sir. Tabitha Williams. I'm Devon's girlfriend and a cadet in the Marines."

Devon sighed, leaning forward on the steering wheel. "Don't start with the questions."

Bryan just grinned, extending his hand back to the feline. "Bryan Daniels. DCTU operative, and Devon's father."

"Excuse me for saying so, sir, but... Devon looks almost nothing like you." She observed.

"Don't worry too much. It's only because his mother is way more dominant then I am. Though, don't tell her I said so." Bryan grinned, hearing the small snicker in the back of the car.

"_Dispatch to five-five David. What's your twenty?"_

Bryan leaned forward, grabbing the radio from the cradle.

"Dispatch, I'm on Tenth and Billiard."

"_Copy. Report to Ten-Thirty-Seven Hightail Road. Code two."_

"Uh... copy Dispatch. I'll be running joint with Ten-Seven Adam. We also have a civilian with us."

"_Uh... copy. He sign papers or somethin?"_

"Negative. _She_'s with the military. We're all set." He set the radio down. "You know where we're headed to, Devon?"

"Uh... yah. I think so. Four streets up, right?"

Bryan nodded.

"Your Dad gave you the job? I thought you said you would have to fight him for a month?"

"Heh... strange thing about my family. The father is the head until the mother twists the neck, if you know what I mean." Devon grinned into the rear view mirror before looking back at the road.

"Ah, yes. Laugh all you want, just be happy I can't deduct from your allowance anymore."

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Bryan, Devon, and Tabitha, pulled to a stop outside the address. A small command-post like area was already set up, and most of the units were pulled under a large tarp. Devon found a decent spot and pulled under it too, killing the engine and the lights before stepping out.

He was about to ask Tabby to stay in the car, but Bryan stopped him.

"So long as she hangs back and doesn't cause trouble, she can come along." His father said, getting out the car.

"So, what's going on?" Bryan asked Mei, who stood with a cup of coffee in her hand. "Well, we're not sure. Locals responded to a silent alarm at this house here," She said, pointing out the silver-ish house across the street. "They spotted what looked like a shoulder-held rocket launcher. So, they called us in."

"Bullhorn?" The senior agent asked, looking around him.

"Yah, but no one is responding. The locals want us to raid it, but I'm not sure I'm willing to risk it because we believe there's more stuff in there then we care to count."

"Hmm... but since when is hardware like that illegal anymore? That's a shooting range able weapon. We can't raid because of that."

"Well, actually..." Devon began. "They were talking about it just before I graduated from the academy. There was an attack on a test chopper a few weeks back? Military passed an ordnance that all launchers are to be registered with them."

"How come we never got that notice?" Mei asked, checking her PDA.

"Who knows. We'll check later. Did they try the house phone?"

"No answer." Mei reported, just as Brea approached. She and Bryan shared a brief hug before going to work. She waved and Devon and Tabitha, noting to herself to embarrass her son later.

"So, what's the word?" She asked.

"Well, we could try doing a heat scan. Though with all this rain it'll be hard." Mei suggested, pulling the device from its case.

Bryan didn't hear the shot, but he did hear the gurgling sound coming from someone behind him. Brea was already taking shelter behind a car, as was the others. Devon pulled Tabitha behind his unit, telling her to stay down.

"_Officer down! We're taking sniper fire from an unknown position."_

Mei was already scanning the area with the heat sensor, looking for any sign of a sniper. Meanwhile, Brea had snuck around to pull the wounded officer to safety, treating his wounds as soon as she could.

"I've got him!" Mei yelled, pointing in the direction of the attic window of the same house they were called to. Almost immediate covering fire was heard while Mei, Brea, and Bryan bolted from behind their cars and to the door. A blast from a C2 charge knocked it off its hinges, allowing the three to enter.

They quickly cleared and secured the rest of the house before heading for the attic.

From behind the attic door, they could hear the heavy breathing of the attacker as he loaded another plasma shot into his rifle. Mei kicked in the door, allowing them instant access to the room.

The sniper froze, his rifle aimed out the window, but he was watching them out of the corner of his eye.

"Police. Drop it or we'll shoot." Brea ordered, taking a step forward.

Bryan holstered his sidearm, pulling the tazer from the holster on his left.

He took aim while Brea ordered the suspect to drop again. And once again, they were ignored. Bryan aimed carefully and let the probes fly. The suspect shook violently as the current shot through his body. Bryan eased off the tazer's trigger causing the voltage to cease. "He's down."

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"We've been able to confirm that your launcher was part of an attack on a test chopper a few days ago. What are you, a sleeper cell from Aramov's unit? An Akita fanatic? What?"

"I am that which cannot be seen." The interrogation was going nowhere fast. For every question Mei asked, the suspect tossed back an illusive riddle. She looked over her shoulder at the one way glass.

"Tell us something we can use and we'll go easy on you."

"Name, rank, and serial number is all you'll get from me, bitch."

Mei quirked a smile, pulling her weapon and combat knife from their holsters. She slammed his head to the desk, pressing the barrel of his weapon to it.

"Let's go. Answers, from your mouth, now."

"Davis Bowser, Major, two-seven-three-seven-eight-six."

"Not those." She said, pulling his head back against the chair by his fur. This time she sat on the table, holding the knife in a position that would be sure to make him think twice about screwing with her again. "What is your mission? Your goal? I want to hear them all, or you won't leave this room."

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Brea entered the lab just a step ahead of Bryan, Devon, and Tabitha. Dracous looked up when he heard the door hiss open.

"You know, they still didn't fix that bullet hole you guys built into my wall." He joked, jabbing a thumb in the direction behind him, the 5.56 caliber round-made hole still clear in the wall. "Truth be told," he continued. "the compound still has a few of your holes in it. Heh, adds character, I guess..."

Devon cast a questioning glance at his father.

"It's be over twenty years, they still didn't fix those?" Brea asked, batting her eyes at him in a sign of innocent. Anyone in the room that had known her for more than a year rolled their eyes.

"Anyway, on to business. I looked over his personal stuff and cataloged a few things. I really didn't find anything out of place that your normal terrorist or even gun-nut civilian wouldn't have. The propaganda, the neo-nazi stuff. All accounted for."

"Not a single thing to give us a clue as to who this guy is?" Brea asked, looking over the stuff layed on out the table.

"Well... I did find these." Dracous mentioned, shifting a few things aside before holding up a pair of dog tags. "I was just about to examine them." He added, tossing them to Brea. She looked over them a moment before freezing. She quickly tossed them to Bryan.

He looked over the object in his hand. "Unit Cobra... Davis Bowser, Major... Codename: The Snake... Serial: two-seven-three-seven-eight-six... Washington, D.C. USA?" He looked up. "How is this possible?"

"You don't remember them, Bryan? The Cobra unit worked for the C.I.A. and served greatly after the second world war. When their leader defected to the USSR, they did as well. Though, they were supposedly whipped out by another C.I.A. operative only known as "Snake"." Brea reminded him.

"I know that. But like you said - they're all dead. And the last I remember, there was no Davis Bowser in that unit. Though, it's going to be extremely hard to check on that... you know, Earth being all destroyed."

"So, now what?" Brea asked, taking the tags from Bryan.

"Let's go talk to our guest."

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Mei's knife was making their suspect uneasy. After all, it was pressed to his throat. He was about to tell her the same things he had been saying for the past hour when the door opened.

"This is police brutality!" He took the chance to yell, hoping it was a superior officer or something.

"Well... it probably is... but, hell - we don't have to follow the same rights as normal cops anyway." Brea said, acting like she had better things to do. The tags swung around in a circle in the air as she spun them around her index finger.

Quickly, she snapped, throwing the tags at him and slamming both her fists on the table.

"Lets go, where did you get these!" She yelled, getting within an inch of his face.

Mei grinned, drawing her knife back and holstering it. She leaned on a side wall, most content with watching what would happen next.

Brea's fangs were clearly visible as she threatened the suspect as well.

"You're all fucking crazy! I want my lawyer!"

"Nope, sorry. We don't have to provide one." Mei said, her eyes closed as she leaned back on the wall.

"What! You have to! It's the law!"

"Wrong!" Brea yelled, pushing on him hard enough to throw the chair to the wall. "Five years ago, ordinance two-seven-eight-six-b passed. Says we can do what we want, when we want, how we want. Your so called civil right are currently non-existent. Now, I will only ask once more. Where did you get these."

He looked wildly between the two females in front of him. Between Mei's yakuza torture tactics and Brea's aggressiveness, he knew it was going to be a long day.

Behind the glass, Bryan ejected his clip, sliding back the lock to make it sound like he was cocking it.

Both Brea and Davis' ears twitched and he looked back at her.

"I know you heard that." She said with a grin, taking a step to the left. "We have no problem replacing that window. Though, it would be nice to save some cash. Now, talk!"

"Alright!"

"Good. Now, where did you get these tags?"

"I've had them for as long as I care to remember. There's six others, each with an emotion that we carry into battle."

Brea waved a finger in front of him. "If you're referring to the Cobra unit, you're dead wrong. They were whipped out on Earth well over forty years ago."

"No we weren't! It was a CIA over up. We all ended up here... don't ask how cause we don't know."

"Can't be. You're too young to be over forty."

"Don't ask me to explain that either. I don't know."

Brea growled. "Don't fuck we me. I want the truth, now!"

"You want the truth! Fine! I am one of seven members of the Cobra unit. We were abandoned by our government well over forty years ago. We all ended up here through, god knows what way, and, to top it off, we've been hired to complete a job."

"What job?"

"We currently run the ranks of Akita's syndicate. All seven of us."

"Akita? But... he's dead. I watched him die!" Mei was off the wall now, in more than once sense.

"There was blood samples... they recreated his body, mind, soul... all of it. He hired us to do some of his dirty work for him. We don't stop until we die. You can try to imprison me, but they will only get me out."

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Bryan turned to Tabitha. "Do me a favor, run down to the main desk and tell them to alert the morgue, okay?"

She knew why, but she also knew _why_. She nodded, heading for the main desk.

"Dad." Devon breathed out, watching Mei draw her weapon.

"Listen to me, and listen good. You joined DCTU knowing full well that we do whatever it takes to eliminate the threat. War crimes do not exist in our unit, understand?"

Devon nodded.

"If you have an objects to getting your hands dirty, even if it is cold blooded, I want you to go home right now. I won't hold it against you, and I'll see to it that you are reassigned somewhere else, locally of course."

"Dad... I know it's necessary. I'm not completely comfortable with it... but one life for thousands? I'm sure I'll get over it."

Bryan patted his son on the back. "Are you sure? Granted, we don't have to do this often, but it can get to you."

Devon nodded, just as the gunshot rang out.

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Tabitha starred strait ahead. She didn't blink, she didn't speak, she just kept starring.

"Tabby... are you okay?" Devon asked, leaning over the arm rest to put an arm around her in her seat. Currently, they both sat in his car, in the drive way of his parent's house. It seemed like she was just coming to terms with what had happened that day.

"So that's it... she just... shot him?"

"Yah..."

"But... he wasn't armed... he wasn't attacking... that's cold blooded murder..."

"Tabitha... we're both in the military. We both know that now and days, everything is done without question."

"But in combat your enemy has a weapon! They have a fighting chance!"

He jumped out and ran around the car, pulling her from the passenger seat and into the driveway, he held her close, running a paw up and down her back.

"I know... it isn't fair... but it's the only way to protect innocent people."

Brea watched the two from the window on the second floor. She sighed, leaning against the frame.

"I feel bad for her. She's still young."

"She witnessed something that no one should ever have to do or see. I can only imagine what she's thinking right now." Bryan answered, walking to the window and watching the two head inside.

We went down the stairs and met them in the main hallway.

"Tabitha, listen to me." He said quietly, sympathetic almost. "I want you to think about this, ok?"

Tabitha nodded as Devon held her from behind.

"In another twenty years, you'll be mated, have a family of your own and a decent amount of money under your belt to where you'll be able to retire without worry. Now, imagine one day that you send your kids to school and a few hours later, you find out that a bomb exploded inside that school. You no longer have your family. Sure, you still have your mate, but you lost something that means more to you than anything in the world. Later you find out that the terrorist who set off the bomb, had been interrogated and released by police. Now how do you feel?"

"I'd wonder why they didn't get him when the had the chance." She replied quietly.

"Exactly. Now do you understand why Mei did what she did? To prevent an attack and save what lives that would have been lost if we had released him."

She just nodded. "I'll be fine in a little while. I'm just coming to terms."

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Mei put her holster into the drawer in her nightstand, locking it and checking to make sure it wouldn't come lose before getting into bed. She snuggled back a few inches into Bill be sighing.

"Something wrong?" He whispered.

"I had to do a cold kill today. I always hate those."

"I know. Sometimes you like to think that a person's only mistake is who they work for, that it?"

She sighed, leaning back further. "Yah... I know it should be easy with my past and all, but still."

"All I know is don't use any of that Yakuza stuff on me." Bill said with a chuckle.

"Don't worry. So long as you don't do anything stupid to me, we'll be just fine."

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Devon leaned his forehead into Tabitha's, giving the girl a kiss before she snuggled her head into his chest.

"I'm surprised your parents let us share a bed. Most parents, especially their mothers, would freak at the idea of it."

"That is true. But my parents are normally easy going about stuff like this. If anything, I'd say they stocked a drawer in this room with... protection." Devon could feel her blush at the comment.

"Are your serious? Your parents are too much."

"Huh, you think that's bad? Just try and figure out which one did it."

She laughed now, allowing herself to relax a little.

"Just keep your mind out of the gutter and get some sleep, okay?" She joking, snuggling closer and closing her eyes again, only this time, she fell asleep.

Devon nodded to himself, falling into a deep slumber as well.


	4. Cobra

A/N: FYI, it's been about 20 years since the last story. Making Bryan somewhere in his mid/late forties. Also, I know this chapter it a little short. It's just a bridge, so don't worry too much about the length.

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The helicopter zoomed past the five speeding cars on the freeway. It's heavy spot light trained right into the middle of the pack as fourteen police units tried to keep up with the upgraded cars in front of them.

"_Chopper six to Dispatch. They're outrunning the patrol units!"_

"_Thirty-seven! Requesting shock strip!"_

"_Negative thirty-seven. Shock enabled units are currently unavailable."_

James was beyond his anxiety as this point. He was just hoping they didn't get caught, as it was, his dad was still pissed because of the raid. The last thing he needed was a street racing charge as well.

He swore aloud as he changed lanes to avoid a broken down car.

"They'll never know, he said. They never patrol the one-ten at four in the morning, he said. And look, here they are! I'm so dead." He groaned as the chopper's beam shone through his window. "Shit, shit, shit!"

"_Two-two-five. Requesting backup. He's out running us."_

"_Copy. Advising which backup units en-route. Stay with him!"_

At this point they had entered the city's main tunnel, which it being early morning, had no light in it other than the headlights and flashing lights from the pursuit units. They weaved around as much as they could without spinning out to avoid other police units and civilians.

James cured even more seeing a few units pull ahead of them and try to form a makeshift roadblock. The lead car in their pack tried to smash through it, but only managed to make a hole big enough for the others to get through, totaling his own car in the meantime.

None of them stopped to help him, they kept on.

"_Thirty-eight to Dispatch. I have one suspect in custody. I'll need the medics, he's pretty banged up."_

"_Copy, all units, one in custody."_

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Bryan and Brea were sitting at a corner outside of a fast food restaurant. He had just returned with some food and was more than ready to eat it. "You think Tabitha really is okay?" Bryan asked.

Brea just shook her head. "Nope. She will be, but not yet." She said, digging into her meal quickly. Bryan was about to start his when a car shot past them.

"What the..." He said, as another three shot past followed by police units.

"Son of a bitch." He muttered, as he burned out of the stop sign, racing to catch up with the rest of the pack.

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James' ears twitched as he heard another siren join the rest. This one with different though, it had a slightly higher pitch to it.

"Where have I heard... shit!" He yelled, realizing that not only was the newcomer overtaking the rest of the cops, but the four letters imprinted into the license plate meant nothing more than: Busted.

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Brea was fishing around in the back of the car while Bryan kept his speed up. She reappeared a moment later with a rifle-looking object in her hands.

"I've been dieing to test this." She grinned, loading a round into it.

"Get ready guys, I've got one coming your way now." Bryan said into the radio.

"_Copy. Ready when you are."_

Brea nodded to herself, rolling down and leaning out the cars window, she lined up her sights with one of the car's stabilizer cells. She pulled the trigger as the shock rounds flew from the barrel of the rifle and into the cell. After a few sparks the car lost speed and the driver pulled to the side.

While Bryan and Brea passed him, a few of the cops stopped to help him into their car.

"_We've got another in custody. Three to go."_

The other two cars fell behind as well due to Brea's shocker rounds. The final car kept up it's speed until Brea lined up her sights again. She was about to fire when the driver in that car slammed on their brakes, spinning the car around and ending up in the middle of the street, facing a mail box.

Brea and Bryan approached the car with their weapons drawn. "Driver! Out of the car now!" She yelled, watching as the driver listened. A few more cops cars showed up behind the two arresting agents and those cops drew their weapons as well.

James groaned, getting out and putting his paws on the roof of his car.

Both Brea and Bryan lowered their weapons at the same time. "You know, I think your Dad might actually kill you for this little stunt." Brea stated, shaking her head as Bryan led James to the back of their car.

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"Theft? Reckless driving? Street racing? Risk of injury to a cop? James! This is beyond unacceptable." Fox was furious. "Not only that, but what if they shot you! You know how things are now and days!"

"She couldn't hit me if she tried." James countered, talking of Brea's shooting.

"Willing to place some money on that kid?" She growled in response.

"You're dealing with me." Fox reminded his son. "What would your mother say if she knew about this?"

"You're not going to tell her, are you? Dad, no!"

"She already knows! She's telepathic!"

James growled again.

"This is beyond 'boys will be boys'! You're lucky that Bryan was able to talk them out of arresting you!" Fox sighed. James just walked away from his father, heading for his room.

Fox then looked up to Bryan and Brea. "Thanks you guys. I don't know what's gotten into him lately. He used to be such a good kid."

"He just wants freedom. He is getting older now, I don't know how many twenty-six year olds still get a talkin' to from their parents as well. Just give him some space, he'll be fine." Bryan answered, looking at his watch. "We better get moving. We've got that TAC meeting in an hour." He said to Brea, waving goodbye to Fox.

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"Look, I'm not going to give you the 'while your under my roof' speech. We all know that you still live here because it's where you want to be. You can afford your own place, you just choose not to. I know... and I shouldn't come down on your for stunts you pull. You're not fifteen anymore, and I need to remember that."

"Dad, it isn't that big of a deal. I get what I deserve."

Fox nodded, turning to leave. "Come on, lets go get some breakfast."

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Devon stirred, hearing someone knock on the door. He shifted his head away from Tabitha to look over his shoulder, seeing his mother poking her head in.

"Hey." She whispered. "Get up and get dressed."

"What? Why? It's only seven and I have the day off."

"Maybe, but Mei called a little while ago. She's taking you somewhere today. Now, get up and get dressed, she's all her way. Get Tabitha up too, she can go with you."

It only took a few minutes for Devon to dress in some loose fitting clothes. Tabitha pulled the blanket around her tighter as she rummaged through her bag for a minute, pulling out for comfortable clothes as well. She stretched a little, her tail curling around to where it almost touched the top of her head.

"So, where's she taking us anyway?"

Devon just grinned. "Knowing Mei, it could be anything from a movie, to a gun show."

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"However," Devon muttered. "I did not see this coming." Tabitha just snickered from behind him, getting out of the car. "Come on, this might be fun."

He looked up at the sign, seeing various symbols and words. He was still a little tired to process the entirely, but he did know that this was a hand-to-hand training area.

Mei held the door open for the two before following them in. Devon looked around at the weapons plastered to the wall, stepping around a couple of hole-ridden punching bags on the way to the front desk.

Mei drummed her fingers for a moment, leaning forward and looking over the desk in order to make sure the person she was looking for wasn't hiding from them on the floor. She whistled for a moment before turning to Devon.

"Stay here." She sighed, jumping the desk and landing on the other side, disappearing into the back room. She reappeared a moment later, shrugging. "She said she would be here... what the hell." She sighed, looking around again.

The front door's bell jingled as it swung open to reveal a silver wolf. Hand-tight fighting gloves in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She caught the look of exasperation on Mei's face as she grinned, lifting the cup to her lips. "What? Hey, even an energy bitch like me needs a cup of coffee to start my day." She said, taking a drink.

She walked past Devon and Tabitha, hopping the desk in the same manner that Mei had, and disappeared into the back room. From the front, they heard a machine beep twice before reading off messages and dates.

A minute or so later, the female reappeared, this time dressed in a pair of shorts and sports bar. She set her coffee on the desk, before picking up some mail in front of her.

"So, dropping off some rookie for me to mold, eh, Mei?" She asked, without looking up.

"Sort of. Think we can count this as a personal favor?"

The wolf gave a fang-bearing grinned before scoffing. "Nope." She said, putting her mail away and leaning forward on the desk, now looking at Mei. "But hell, I'm in a good mood today. Lets just say you owe me lunch."

Both Mei and the wolf shook hands. "It's a deal." She added, turning to Devon and Tabitha. "Listen to her, she's just about as good as I am at this stuff. And you roll your eyes at me now, yes Devon; I'm looking at you, but this stuff will save your life in the field."

Devon rolled his eyes again, though this time when they centered, the wolf was no more than a mere inch from his face. Tabitha had taken a step back, though she retained her smug grin.

"Something you want to share with the group, boy?" The wolf seethed through her fangs.

"Uh... no, I mean, yes! I mean... agh!" Devon gave up, taking a step back.

The wolf just grinned. "Oh, I'll have fun with this one." She turned to Tabitha. "What about you girl, you know any hand-to-hand?"

Tabitha nodded. "Just some basic CQC moves. Nothing advanced though."

The wolf had both Devon and Tabitha take a seat in one of the wall lining benches, she whispered a few things to Mei who walked off to another corner of the gym. Both of the kids could hear one of the punching bags taking a diffident beating.

Devon gulped, but Tabitha couldn't seem more at home.

Their attention snapped to the wolf, who once again, had her cup of coffee in her right paw.

"So, Mei's bought you here to train, eh? Well, it will be hard work, but you two look up to it." She said, pausing to take a drink. "It's obvious you're bother military trained, you kept scanning my movements before, trying to figure out how to counteract any attack I initiate. Well, for one, I won't throw anything at you that you won't see coming... for now. Maybe later, when you learn more, I'll test you a few times."

Another drink.

"Alright, lets start. My name is Ouka Nagao. While we train, you will refer to me as Master. You will not question my tactics, regardless of what the military taught you. You will report here at six-thirty A.M. sharp, every day. Hit the door at six-thirty-one, you might as well just go home. What I will teach you is discipline. If you can't show up on time, don't bother coming in."

The wolf turned her attention towards the door as the bell went off.

"On a final note, after today, we'll go get some lunch." She finished, turning to go greet whoever had just come in. "Now, do some warm-ups. I'll be right back."

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Devon dried himself off before pulling on the extra set of clothes that his father had dropped off for him. He met Tabitha in the main room again as she stuffed her towel into her gym bag.

He give her a quick kiss on the forehead as Mei and Ouka rejoined the group.

"Who's ready for some food?"

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"So let me get this strait. You two met after you tazered her drunken ex?" Tabitha repeated the story to herself.

"Yah. Only reason he got tazered was because he took a swing at her." Mei replied.

"A few bad relationships too many. Mei taught me how to protect myself."

"Correction, I taught you a few things. You perfected them into your dojo. Not me." Mei was attempting modesty, or so it seemed.

"I guess you're right. Anyway, fifteen years later and look where it got me."

Mei grinned. "Yah, look where it got you."

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Dracous wheeled around his lab to each station. He was busy working on something just as his doors hissed open. He looked up before bolting out of his chair, saluting the General.

"General Pepper, sir!"

"Easy. I'm just coming in to say that I'm ordering you to stop investigation the Cobra unit."

"What? But why, sir?"

"You do not need a reason, just know that you are not to investigate them under any circumstances. Got it?"

"Uh... yes, sir!" Dracous replied, sitting back down as the General left. He took a deep breath before standing back up and poking his head into the hallway to make sure no one was around.

He ducked back into his lab, reaching for his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed a few numbers before waiting for someone to answer.

"Brea? Yah, it's me. Listen, something extremely strange just happened... Yah, I'll meet you at your house."


	5. Into The Dark

_And if Heaven and Hell decide, that they both are satisfied_

_Illuminate the no's, on their vacancy signs_

_If there's no one beside you, when you soul embarks_

_Then I'll follow you into the dark._

_- Into the Dark, Death Cab for Cutie_

"So, just like that, he tells you to stop investigating?" Bryan asked, requiring a little clarification. "Alright, so don't investigate." He finished. Brea rolled her eyes, getting off the arm of the couch.

"What I think he means is, don't do it out loud. Sneak a peek where you can, ya know?" Brea added, just as the front door opened.

"Guys, Dean's unit is sending out a distress signal. But we can't raise him on the radio." Bill spoke quickly, holding out his radio for them to see.

"Can you get a lock on his unit?" Bryan asked, reaching for his keys.

"Yah, Jackie is on her way there now. Mei is gearing up before she heads out too."

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Bryan's speed was unmatched as he flew down the freeway. He took the upcoming exit as cars moved out of his way.

He heard the clicking sound of the MP5 in Brea's hands as she finished loading it before placing it in her lap, loading the M4 next. Setting it into the dashboard mounted rack before picking the MP5 back up.

The skidded to a halt once they reached the scene. Dean's unit smashed up and rattled with plasma shots and bullet holes. Bryan snatched the M4 from the rack before jumping out.

Both of them covered the area around them, approaching Dean's unit slowly. Taking up positions on each side they both looked over their shoulder in order to see inside the car. Only thing they found was a single female feline, her baby blue fur speckled with small spots of blood, as her chest rose in shallow movements.

"I've got a civilian down." Brea reported out loud to Bryan who wasn't able to check her status from his position. He continued to scout the buildings around him as people began to rise. This told him that the shootout was more the recent.

Mei's siren blasted it's final bout as she jumped out of her car. Her own pistol pointed at the ground as she approached the other two. She walked to Brea's side of the car, and began to assess the feline's injuries.

Bryan looked around him, seeing the burn marks on the ground, he made sure to have someone match them to a particular booster unit later. For now, he was looking for Dean.

He wasn't able to find Dean anywhere. He muttered a few curses and declared the scene 'clear' of threats. Brea walked up to him, the MP5 held to her body via the strap.

"Anything?"

"Nope, they took off with him." Bryan growled, strapping his M4 down before opening the driver's side door of Dean's unit, searching for things.

"Who's the chick?" He called over his shoulder as he continued to snoop around.

"We don't know. All we know for now is that she's lost a substantial amount of blood due to three shots. One in her shoulder, and two to center mass."

"Where they aiming directly for her, you think?" Bryan asked, turning and setting himself sideways in the driver's seat.

"Well... if it wasn't for Dean missing, I'd say so. But, she's still alive and we have no clues as to where Dean is." Brea responded, checking out her surroundings again. "We're going to need all hands for this one. See if anyone say anything that could help."

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Devon pulled his car to the side of the road behind the police patrol unit. He checked his gear before hopping out and walking towards his mother. Tabitha tapped his shoulder. "Are you sure they don't care about me tagging along all the time?" She whispered into his ear. Devon just shook his head. "Nah, who knows, in a few days, my Dad might offer you a job."

She stopped in her tracks, thinking about the possibilities for a moment before putting a spring in her step in order to catch up to Devon.

"Alright, I'm on it." He had just finished saying, turning to catch Tabitha as she stumbled a little. "Here." He said, shoving a holster and pistol into her hand. "My Mom says she wants you to carry this with you if you're going to tag along. You remember how to use it, right?"

Tabitha nodded, strapping it to her back into of her side. "So, now what?"

"Now, we canvas this area. See who saw what." Devon answered, heading for a glass-front store. Bill was already inside, and he gave them a little nod before turning back to who he was interviewing.

Devon stepped up to the store owner, Tabitha not more than a step behind.

"My name is Devon." He said, showing his badge and ID. "I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions."

The fox nodded, taking his shaking paws and stuffing them into his pants pockets.

"Anything to help." He added, nodding to emphasize his statement.

"Can you tell me what you saw?"

"Well... that guy, the cop? Yah, he pulled up in front of that Deli across the street. He got out and went inside. He wasn't even inside for more than seven minutes. Just as he was walking out, another car pulled up. He handed the two grinders to that girl in the passenger seat through the window before walking to the front of his car. He exchanged a few words with the second driver before I saw him jump behind his bumper, and then the shooting began."

Devon nodded, jotting notes as Tabitha examined a few bullet holes in the wall of the store.

"Alright, what about that girl? What was she like?"

"Well... her and that cop seemed to be having a great time together. Just before he got out I saw them give each other a light kiss. When the shooting started she got real scared though, even jumped out of the car to hide as well. It didn't look like she was used to the sound of gun or plasma fire at all." The store owner recounted from memory. "Beyond that I can't tell you much more, by then I had ducked behind the counter."

Devon nodded, giving his thanks before turning around. Tabitha had ejected a round from the weapon he had given her and was holding it against the wall.

"Is this a standard sidearm for DCTU?" She asked, Devon, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

He shrugged, taking his sidearm out, he checked the clip.

"Yah... forty-five ACP." He mused out loud. "I think only my Mom and Dad use the nine-millimeter version anymore."

Tabitha nodded. At the academy, she had majored in weapons and medicine. And while she had her medic certification, she wasn't a licensed weapons specialist... yet.

She ejected the clip of her weapon, adding the round back into it before loading and locking it, holstering her weapon again. She turned back to Devon. "Well, now what?"

"Lets go talk to my Dad."

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"The store owner said that?" Bryan asked, not really looking at Devon as he continued to search Dean's unit. Devon nodded before realizing that his Dad probably didn't see that. "Yah. Why, you sound like it doesn't fit?"

"Well, it wound for the most part, except we found the girl slumped over in the passenger seat."

Devon thought about it for a moment before exhaling loudly. "I don't have an answer for that."

"What kind of wounds did she have, sir?" Tabitha asked, looking at the ground next to the unit's wheel.

"All plasma shots." Bryan answered, straitening up and looking at the two. "Why?"

"Well... modified plasma shots can ricochet off of certain surfaces. That would explain her wounds, and that would put her where the store owner said."

"Alright, I'll bite. How did she get back into the car though?" Bryan pressed, he rally liked what she was getting at.

"She had three wounds... but plasma wounds take a few moments to really start bleeding since the heat from the original shot semi-seals the wound as for as blood clotting go. But then you get your heart racing with the 'I've been shot!' feeling and the wound starts to bleed freely. I'd say she had just enough time and crawl back into the car and tap the emergency response button." Tabitha finished, pointing at the button.

"You know, that fits." Bryan said, standing in front of the unit. "Between the burn marks and where we think Dean was standing, it's possible that he had placed himself between her and the attack, expecting some sort of problem." He continued.

"Alright... so that leaves us with, where's Dean now?" Devon asked, examining a nasty blood smear on the side of the car. Presumably from the female victim.

"Taking hostage." Mei answered, walking up behind him. "From what we can tell, anyway. Without any demands made or claims to blame, we can't really assume much more than that."

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"Bryan, Brea, she's awake." Mei said, poking her head out of the door. The two, plus Devon and Tabitha, stood up, making their way to the door.

"I hate hospitals." Devon grumbled under his breath, entering the room. Tabitha took a seat out of the way in a corner, though she still paid close attention.

"She's on painkillers right now. So she may be a little spacey." Mei opened, taking her seat back at bedside.

"Hello." Brea greeted warmly, smiling down at the feline in the bed. "My name is Brea. And this is Bryan, and Devon. Tabitha is in the corner of there, and you've already met Mei. We're here with the police. Can you tell me what happened today?"

She just shook her head.

"Alright, not so fast. I get it. Lets start somewhere though, can you tell us your name?" Bryan asked. Devon was taking notes from both sides, learning how to interview victims, while writing down the responses he received.

"Eva Spade."

"Okay, Ms. Spade. Can you tell me what you were doing with one of our officers today?"

"Who, Dean? Me and him have been dating for about a week." She responded slowly. "We were going to get some food."

"Good, good." Devon pressed. "Then what happened."

Eva paused slightly, one of her ears twitching in frustration. "It happened so fast. All I know is that we were being shot at and then... he... he fell! And, I tried to help him... but I was injured and they took him away." She paused, a small tear forming in the corner of her eyes. "He always told me that if anything happened to press a button in his car. And so I did... after that the last thing I remember is someone pressing on my neck and then I woke up here." It had taken a awhile for her to get the sentence out, but when she did a few more things made sense.

"Alright, you did good Eva." Brea said, pulling Bryan's arm as she walked out of the room.

"We need the girl to be put into protective custody. She's either a target or an unfortunate victim. But until we know just who attacked we can't be sure."

"As nice as that is Brea, the frat house doesn't have any extra room in it since it's already housing a few VIPs of it's own. What do you propose we do?"

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Bryan groaned, dropping the bags on the floor of the guestroom.

"Me and my big mouth." He groaned, turning to see Brea standing in the doorway. "Oh, come on. It isn't that bad. Besides, what's the chances of them attacking here?"

Bryan just nodded as Tabitha and Devon appeared in the doorway, helping Eva up the stairs. "Easy." He was whispering.

Once they got her settled, Tabitha checked her bandaging before pressing a damp cloth to her forehead. "Oh dear, you've had a bad day haven't you? It's over, don't worry." She whispered, as Devon watched discreetly from the doorway. He smiled watching the tan feline's bedside manner, he ducked out as Tabitha stood. "I'll be back in a little while to check on your bandages." He heard her say before she appeared before him.

She quickly embraced him, nuzzling into his chest fur. "All this does is serve to remind me just how lucky we are." She whispered before Devon carried her to their room, turning in for the night.

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Meanwhile, back at the base, Bryan was going over some of his theories with Mei.

"At this point, it's possible that he really pissed someone off." Mei finished, drinking from her coffee cup. "I can talk to our usual contacts and see what the word on the street is."

Bryan nodded, clicking the pen in his hand in a nervous fashion.

"I still don't like this in the least. Why take an agent hostage?" He asked himself aloud. "I mean, are they going to try and trade him?"

"Who knows." Mei finished. "All I know is that I think it's part of the attack on the chopper and Teresa's little Chimera incident."

Bryan nodded, leaning back in his chair. "I'm tired, lets call it a night." He was heading for the door with Mei when his cell phone rang.

He answered it quickly before tapping her on the shoulder. "On second thought, I'll meet you there. Brea just called and she needs me to come and get her. I guess it's car trouble."

"Our Mechanic is having car trouble?" Mei's tone was one of pure enjoyment. "Makes me wanna drive home right now."

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Bryan pulled up behind the parked car on the corner of street. The entire place seemed deserted, bathed in the headlights of Bryan's unit since even the moon didn't dare to shine here.

She stood at the side of the rood, looking worried as he drove up. Her own mind was running a few miles a second, wondering if she should yell to him or not.

Bryan smiled at her as he got out of the car with the jump box, but she didn't return it. Instead she opened her mouth like she about to yell, but the words never came out. At least, he didn't hear them.

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Bryan groaned, feeling himself coming back to his own body. Anything below his neck wouldn't or couldn't move. It was obvious to him he was bound, but not gagged. He took a sagged breath before coughing it out.

"What the hell." He whispered to himself, shaking his head to try and clear it before opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was Brea standing in front of him. She went to take a step forward, but someone grabbed her bound hands from behind, pulling her back to where to stood a moment before.

"We thought we could do this clean, easy. But no, she has to yell." The voice grumped. It took Bryan a while to realize just who the voice belonged to.

"All we wanted to do was take you guys out. One by one. We weren't even going to touch your families... well, maybe your son, since he works with you now."

"Why'd you do it, Brea?" Bryan asked, his gaze was centered to the floor.

"I had to... they said they would kill Trish and Michel."

"If you lay a hand on my mate or my kids or even my team, I'll personally send you to hell myself."

"Sounds interesting. Lets see." Bryan's head jolted up, watching as Brea was pushed forward a step. Now he could clearly see the attackers face. "You!" He sneered. Struggling against his bonds he wanted to leap out of the chair and strangle him.

"Akita, I swear to god."

"Tempting." The feline's death grin was present as he showed off the gun in his hand.

"Recognize this? Isn't this your service pistol?"

Bryan didn't answer.

"Well then. You arrested me, tried to kill me, you turned my sister against me, and then you killed my only apprentice actually doing what she was trained to do. Allow me to return the favor." The speech was cut short as Bryan's hearing went out. He was only watching now as Brea was pushed to the side and out of his line of sight. Akita raised his paw and fired two rounds to where Brea should have landed.

However, the gunshots were drowned out by Bryan's yell as he watched the scene unfold. And then, his world went black.

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Mei was speeding at the top speed her unit would go. She was responding to a call that had come in over their dispatch center. Officer down.

And with three of their own missing, everyone was on high alert. She slammed the breaks before the gas again, taking the corner hard, nearly losing control. She corrected herself before speeding up again. Blowing through two more sets of traffic lights before coming to a complete stop, tire burn marks behind her.

She was already out of the car, leaving Bill to put it into park, as she leaped the guard rail, sliding down the wet grass on the soles of her shoes before coming to a stop.

Bryan was face down in the drain. She went to check his pulse but nearly jumped when he groaned, pushing himself up onto his hands and knees before tucking his foot under himself and pushing up.

He staggered slightly before turning his head to the sky. He didn't even acknowledge Mei as he started walking up the hill. Ignoring her as she called out to him. Bill had to grab him by the shoulder in order to keep him from walking into traffic.

"Bryan what the hell is going on?" He yelled, pushing him against Mei's car, just as she rejoined them at the crest of the hill.

"Bryan, what's going on? Where's Brea? Do you know?"

They didn't think they'd get an answer out of him for a minute. But then he whispered.

"Gone."

"What?" Bill asked, ducking his head a little low to meet with Bryan's eyes.

"He killed her."

"Who killed her?" Mei asked, quietly.

Bryan just shook his head. He could tell them, have them do all they can to take the feline out one last time.

Or, the alternative.

He would hold to his word, and personally deliver the hell cat to his rightful home.

And to him, the second option was just that much more appealing.

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A/N: Alright, hold off on that hate mail for just a second, eh? I made a promise not to kill off certain characters, (and I'll kick myself later for saying this), and I plan to hold true to that promise. So, chill with the hate mail.


	6. Moblie

Bryan sat at the kitchen table of his home. Since that morning he had been sitting there, fidgeting with his fingers for the past couple of hours. And with the kids due home from school within the next twenty minutes, well, he was beyond words.

Devon and Tabitha had been out all night and day so far, either looking for him or following up on leads. Truth was, Bryan didn't know. But he did know they were safe, not only had they checked in with Mei, but Akita had made it well known that he was saving them for close to last.

_If_ he got that far.

He played with his fingers for a few more minutes before the door swung open and closed shortly after.

Trish was the first into the kitchen, running up to grab a hold of her father.

"Where did you go last night? We waiting up all night for you and Mom to get home, but you guys never did. Uncle Silver came over and put us to bed." She said, about to go into a ramble about her day as Mike came into the kitchen.

"Trish he doesn't want to hear about how you had to deal with Tiffany today." He huffed, obviously not in the mood to hear his sister babble.

"Hey Dad." He greeted Bryan, looking over at his father.

Bryan's eyes hadn't left his hands yet, and Michel had to sit in the chair across from him and put his head on the table before he even began to see his father's eyes. But, he had only seen that look once before.

"Dad." He pressed. "What's wrong?"

He suddenly realized that his mother wasn't home. "Dad, where's Mom? Is she okay?" He pressed. Trish was silent as she watched her father. It was only a moment before Mike was up and hugging his sister tightly. "Dad you're scaring us. What's going on."

"Do you two remember... four months ago. Me and your mom sat you down for a talk."

"Y-yeah." Trish whispered.

"Do you remember how I told you that one day, we'll both go to work, but only one of us will come back?"

"Dad?" Mike pressed. "Where's mom... she is okay right? This is a really bad joke... Dad? Dad!"

Bryan took a quick deep breath. "No guys... this isn't a joke. Brea... you're mother... she won't be coming home anymore guys."

Bryan heard the gasp, but it had come from the doorframe instead of where Mike and Trish were. He looked up quickly, seeing Tabitha with a paw over her mouth as Devon stood a few feet in front of her.

"Dad... what... what happened?" The older kid asked, taking the seat Mike had been sitting in before.

"Not now Devon... just do me a favor and take your brother and sister to Silver's okay? Calita said you guys could stay there for a little while. I have some things I need to take care of."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me where mom is!" Michel yelled out.

Bryan stood up quickly, causing both kids to step back, but he did nothing more than envelop them into a hug. "I'm sorry guys. I couldn't protect her. And it's something I'll have to live with. I couldn't protect her." He repeated until Devon tapped him on the shoulder. He lead the two kids up the stairs to pack a few things. Tabitha still stood in the doorway, watching Bryan.

"You will be okay... won't you? I mean, just a little bit of time, right?"

Bryan shook his head. "I don't know if it's that easy, Tabitha. I mean... in the field, we get into a firefight, she would of stood a chance, you know? She could duck for cover until any of us were able to come in and pull her out. But... he killed her... she was bound, couldn't move to hurt him at all, and he just pushed her to the floor and shot her."

He moved in front of the feline. "Listen to me Tabitha. Brea, she liked you. Told me that she wanted nothing more for you and Devon than for you two to stay as you are now. You two love each other, don't ever let what happened to me happen to you. Got it?"

She nodded, and Bryan headed for the door.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you going?"

"I have some things I need to take care of... if I don't return... take good care of my son, okay?"

And without so much as a goodbye, he shut the door.

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"So wait, he's mobile?" General Pepper asked, looking Bill strait in the eyes.

"Yes, sir."

"You can't track him? Don't those things have GPS trackers in them?" The General asked quickly.

"What, you mean this?" Bill said, holding up the small black box; tossing it onto the desk. "You need to give him more credit than that, General. His mate built the damn thing and he helped install them."

The General sighed, picking up the device.

"What now? We can't tell the public that there's a rouge special agent on the loose? Oh, a better story: Akita's alive and well."

Bill blinked a few times, placing his paws into his lap.

"Uh, sir? I never said anything about Akita."

Pepper groaned to himself, feeling the sudden urge to throw up his lunch.

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Bill questioned, leaning forward and onto the desk, just as Mei came through the door.

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Bryan drove behind the large building, parking in it's back lot, under a canopy, before walking around to the front and opening the door. The small bell jingled as the wolf came out from the back area, her training outfit donned and covered in a slick film a sweat.

"Mei's been looking all over for you."

"Hey yourself, Ouka. I just need to work off some steam."

The wolf shook her head. "Uh-uh. You're up to something." She thought for a moment. "You're not going to do what I think you're doing."

Bryan shrugged. "I'm just here to work out. Nothing to worry about. And _don't_ call Mei!" He said, walking towards the main gym's punching bag.

Ouka watched him work himself into near exhaustion before tapping him on the shoulder, ducking as his arm swung in her direction.

"Whoa! Easy! It's only me!" She yelled, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Look at me." She growled, holding him steady. "You shouldn't be here. I know what happened, and knowing you, I know what you're planning on doing." She paused, see if her words had impacted him at all. "Listen to me, Bryan. Do not be stupid. Your kids just lost their mother, you just lost your mate. You guys need each other right now and getting yourself killed in a firefight with his troops won't do any of you any good. Just go home."

"No."

"Do you hear yourself? What if he goes after your kids? What if your wrong and he's not saving them for later?"

"They are more than safe with Calita and Silver. If it wasn't for the fact that they don't like field work as much as the rest of us, they'd be the first deployed."

The female wolf sighed, shaking her head and she grumbled a few things. Bryan just shrugged himself from her grip, packing up his gym stuff and waving a goodbye as he went out the door and around the corner.

He was about to unlock his car with the remote when he saw Krystal pressed up against one of his windows, looking in. He grumbled a curse, turning around and attempting to walk in the other direction, only to have Fox block his path.

"Who told you where I was? Ouka, right? Can't anyone keep a secret?" He sighed, turning back towards his car, pressing the alarm button to unlock the doors.

"When your mate is a psychic, there's very little you can't find out."

Krystal offered a sorry grin. "I know I disobeyed one of my own rules..." She seemed like she was trying to figure out how to finish the sentence. "Fine, whatever." Bryan groaned, tossing his bag in the back seat before turning to them.

"You wanted something?"

"Is there anyway we can talk you out of this?" Krystal asked, taking a step forward. Bryan just sighed again, pulling the sun glasses from the glove box, placing them on top of his head.

"Not a chance."

"Fine, then at least take this with you." Fox said, tossing the duffle bag on the ground in front of Bryan. He had been in such a self centered haze up until that point, he hadn't even noticed it.

He hefted it onto the hood of his car, pulling the zipper down and pulling out what had to be one of the biggest blaster rifles he had seen in a long time.

"It's been in storage on the Great Fox. I had Slippy pull it out and add a few things to it." The vulpine began pointing out certain areas. "Full, burst, and semi automatic fire. You hold it like you would your M4, but you can also use it as a sniper rifle." He said, pointing out the scope. "It's a eighteen thousand optical scope with a extreme thirty thousand digital zoom."

"So you're saying I can pick a fly off your head from forty miles?"

Fox just grinned. "I wouldn't even hear a sound." The added. "I also had him add one more modification to it. You can charge it for blaster shots, or use the gate on the bottom to load up your own rounds. It'll take just about anything you can stick in it."

"Even the fifty?"

Fox nodded. "It's no toy. Falco damn near built the thing himself, and you know he doesn't mess around with his guns."

Bryan put it back in the bag, holding it out for Fox to take. "I can't take this."

"You'd better. I'm no where near okay with letting you take off on your little vendetta. But," he sighed. "I know that if it were me and Krystal in your position... well, I can't say I blame you."

Bryan looked down at the bag again, tossing it next to his gym bag.

"Tell the kids I'll see them someday, got it?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The shut down workshop had been Bryan and Brea's little secret hiding space. Ground level it looked like a closed down bar, secured by the laser grid in order to keep the kids out. Standard stuff. However, a key card and eye scan later, you were inside and riding the elevator down into what they had dubbed 'the pit'.

It wasn't a small space as one would of expected it to be from the outside. It easily housed a bed, gun workshop, kitchen, and a few other home-like places. He tossed both of the duffle bags onto the ground, sitting himself on the bed and leaning back.

The pillows and blankets still smelled of her. He pondered weather or not he should change them. But for the time being he just layed there, coming to cope for the first time with what had happened within the past few days.

At one point he dozed off, only to shoot himself awake a few moments later. He looked around, expecting to see Brea running up to him, calling to him to see what was wrong.

Instead, he was met with silence; but it was a loud kind of silence.

He groaned, moving from the bed to the kitchen, pulling one of the beer cans from the fridge. He looked at it.

No, he didn't drink these... Brea drank those.

He felt the vile rise in his throat again as he threw the beer can across the room, using every ounce of his reflexes to draw his weapon and pick the can off mid flight. The foaming substance and can shrapnel shards exploding as the bullet impacted the can and finished it journey by imbedding itself into the wall.

His grin wasn't it's usual smug self. It was more of a murderous, killer grin. The fact was, he was pleased with his response time in dispatching that can from it's mid-life existence. The expiration date, just a tad early.

Those reaction times and superior thinking skills would be Akita's downfall. Bryan knew the tactics, had the gear, the means, never mind motive to take down the terrorist. And, while it wouldn't be single handedly, it would be close enough to his satisfaction.

His mission didn't really have an outcome.

Should he succeed and kill Akita for the final time, he would return home and live out the rest of his sad existence with what was left of his family.

Should Akita kill him? Well, that wouldn't really matter would it, he already felt dead inside.

The cold chill of the long deceased furnace didn't pierce him like it normally would have. His blood hot, he felt just as warm as he needed too. But for now, he would get rest. Tomorrow, he would get leads, follow them up, and track the feline down.


	7. Agile :: Hostile

A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys. Been working on an original book. I might get published!

"Keep it down, stupid!"

Bryan grinned. Sure enough, those two chatter boxes were right where they normally were. Same street corner, different day.

Davis and Gerald were two of his top snitches, they had helped him crack more cases then anyone else. However, normally getting those two to cooperate was always a bit of a struggle.

"My boys! It's been a long time." Bryan said, keeping his position in the shadows. He watched the two look up sharply, one of them muttering.

"Oh, no. Not him, not tonight. Jesus, why tonight?" Davis was whispering, backing away slowly.

Bryan stepped out, hands in his pockets as he casually strolled up to the two, stopping when he was within arms length.

"Akita... information, now."

"Man, I dunno know nothing 'bout no Akita, man." Gerald spoke quickly, his eyes darting around slightly.

Bryan simply moved a part of his jacket to show off his belt. No badge. And, before either of the two had a chance to escape, he had Gerald by the neck, military combat knife pressed to the panther's throat while his sidearm was trained right between the eyes of the second panther, Davis.

"Like I said, information boys."

"I said I don't know nothin'! God damn, crazy ass, mother fucker!" Gerald sputtered. Bryan just shook his head, adding pressure to the knife.

"Uh, uh, uh. That's a double negative, meaning you do know something about Akita. Spill it, or I spill you."

Davis didn't dare move. He had seen the cop's shooting first hand.

"You can't do this! You'll lose your job!" He yelled, keeping his paws raised.

"The hell with my job. Akita came after me and killed my mate. Now he's threatening my family. I want answers, and I don't care who dies for me to get them."

"Fine! Fine!" Gerald yelled, trying to get away. Bryan held him tighter, feeling the feline's spine pop slightly for the added weight. "I'm listening." He added, still keeping his voice calm.

Davis was petrified. He knew four modes to Bryan. Calm, cool, and collected; which was his usual state. After that, there was three types of anger. The first being frustration, in which he would simply snap at people. The second usually incurred with the smashing of near by objects that were unlucky enough to be in his path.

The third?

It was the deadliest. Easily mistaking for his usual calm and collected self, this stage of anger would lead to instant death if cooperation didn't occur. This stage had been nicknamed "Death Con" to anyone who had seen him in it.

Fear was pouring out of Gerald as he sputtered what he knew.

"All I knew was that he was going after some cop and his chick! I didn't know it would be you guys, I swear! I heard some guys bragging about how they kidnapped them both. I've seen them before!"

"Where!" Bryan yelled, loosing patience. He didn't want a back story, he wanted a location; and when Gerald didn't answer quick enough, he yelled again, his knife making a thin cut into the panther's skin.

"The Seven-seven-seven club!" Gerald yelled, quickly he was pushed to the ground as he pressed his paw to his throat, feeling for any damage. He quickly looked up at Bryan who loomed above him.

Bryan calmly holstered both weapons.

"I would advice you two to stay where I can easily find you. If I have to hunt you do, I'll kill you." He said, walking away.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The seven-seven-seven club was a well know bar and grill. What hadn't been known to the public, was that it was also an underground strip club and illegal gambling ring. Corneria had outlawed bets totaling a thousand dollars or more, saying as how bets of that size usually led to violence. However, this place delved in large bets.

Bryan entered the family style restaurant, immediately heading for the bar. He walked behind the counter, ignoring the yells from the bar tender. Bryan reach up and grabbed hold of the bottle on the top shelf, grinning as the trap door slid open next to him.

He stepped into it quickly before it closed behind him. The long steel hall was well lit, and no one seemed to be around. He descended the slightly slanted hall, down into the depths of his own personal hell.

He came to a door from which he could hear voices coming from the inside.

"...have seen his face when he shot her. Man, bastard was speechless." The voice was muffled, but still hearable. Bryan touched the sides of the door, hearing the hydraulic system hiss as it slid open. He must have found the access panel.

"'Bout damn time, Wolfe. How long does it take you get fetch us some god dammed-"

He stopped speaking when he looked over his shoulder and saw Bryan standing there, hands in pockets again. His eyes widened as he went for his blaster, only to have to fly across the room, the result of a well placed shot from Bryan's pistol, now in his extended hand.

One of the three men were muttering curses as Bryan stepped fully into the room, letting the door hiss shut behind him.

"So, it seems you three like to brag." Bryan stated, placing a foot on the small table in front of him. He had moved to the front of the couch they had been sitting on, and now he had one leg up on the table, his armed hand limply hanging over his knee. "So, lets hear it."

"I got nothin' to say to you." The first one responded. Before he could get another word out, Bryan flicked his left hand's wrist, causing a knife to appear and fly into the couch, severely close to the first terrorist's crotch. "First time is luck. Wanna waste a second?" Bryan challenged, turning to look at all three. "I'll say it again. I want information now."

"Fine! Fine! Akita told us over his own broadcasting equipment to find you and your wife. We were to take you alive to a meeting place where he would take you and her off our hands. I... I met with him a day before, at a bar." The one in the middle yelled quickly, ignoring the glares from his partners.

"Good... good." Bryan pressed. "Which bar?"

"It's on the main strip in down town. The... the brass horse! Yah, that's it!"

"Good, and a final question, who captured my wife?"

Once again, the middle snitch played it strait, pointing out the two on either side of him. He flinched, drawing his limbs closely to himself as he heard Bryan's firearm discharge twice. When he opened his eyes again he found blood splattered on his fur, his friends sporting new drains in their foreheads.

"Deliver a message to Akita for me, I will kill him."

He fired again, causing the remaining terrorist to jump up off the couch, hiding behind it.

Bryan casually reloaded and holstered his weapon, walking back up into the bar area and out the front door.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He sat alone in his car, thinking about what he had done. Was it truly what he had intended? Did he really go down there just to kill? The answer was a point-blank shot in the face to him - yes.

He had never imagined in a million years that he would be lead to become a cold hearted killer. But after losing so much, and having what was left threatened, in the back of his mind, he knew he had no choice.

"But you did."

Bryan didn't jump, but he had been startled.

Calita leaned forward from the back seat.

"I thought we talked about this." Bryan sighed. "You can't keep scaring me like this."

He stiffened when Calita's paws came from behind his seat, enveloping him in a half-hug. "You poor thing. Lost close to everything and here you are, trying desperately to get it back. Your soul harbors so much anger... but is it at yourself? The terrorists? Maybe Brea?" Calita sighed, sitting back slightly. "I can't tell. You're so unsure of yourself you don't know what to do... but did you really have to kill those two back in there? Couldn't you have left them for the police to find?"

Bryan shook his head. "No... jail does them no justice." He got out of the car, leaning against it's side, allowing his eyes to drift to the sky. A moment later he felt Calita wrapped around him again. He rested his chin on the top of her head. "You can always come home. Your kids need you, they miss you. They just lost their mother, do you really want to take their father away too?"

Bryan's hands reminds at his side. "You don't understand. I know Akita better than most. He says he'll go after my family, and he will. I need to stop him."

"And get yourself killed in the process? Seriously, Bryan. Don't be stupid."

"Go and ask Silver about what happened when we took down Aramov in the military bunker. Ask him what the exchange between me and her was. Then you'll know."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Calita opened the door to her house, sighing as she walked into the kitchen, pulling a beer from the fridge. She took a seat at the counter, resting her head in her paws.

"Why won't he listen? The last thing we need is someone else getting themselves killed."

Silver walked in the kitchen, wrapping his arms around his mate, resting his head on her back. "Hey, where did you go today?"

"Tell me what happened?" She asked quietly. Silver's ears flickered slightly.

"What's that?" He asked, leaning on the counter and try and make eye contact.

"At the military base, when you guys fought against Aramov. What happened between Brea and Bryan?"

"Well... they exchanged a phrase to each other. 'Semper Fi', I think. Bryan told me later, it's a Marine saying from Earth. It means forever loyal. What brought this on?"

"I saw Bryan today. He killed two terrorists."

"What? Calita! Why didn't you tell the others! We have to stop him!" Silver almost yelled, but kept his voice in check.

"We _can't_ stop him. He doesn't even know what he's doing. Right now, he's confused and looking for someone to blame in the death of his mate. He knows, deep down, that Akita was responsible, but he still isn't sure if he should blame himself, Akita, or her."

Silver opened his mouth to say something.

"I asked because he told me to. And now that I know what he meant, I know - for fact - that only two things will stop him. And only one of those is certain to stop him."

"Oh?" Silver asked, arching a brow.

"Simple. The certain one, killing Akita."

"And the one that will only slow him down?"

Calita took a breath before answering.

"Death."


End file.
